Any idea what this wee bird is?
Over these last years this wee bird has been seen more frequently in towns.
Check out its position on the tree, what d’you think it’s doing?
Look at its beak, what d’you think it eats?
Check under ‘T’ here: https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/
Challenge – can you draw this one?
Time for a tale
This is the treecreeper.
Clothes and behaviour
The male (Mr) and the female (Mrs) look the same, with a white speckles on a brown back and very white below.
Treecreepers have a downward curved beak which is ideal for needling out insects from the bark. They can grip onto the tree very well with their spread out toes. Their long tail is used as an anchor to help them hold their position on the tree.
They mainly feed on insects and spiders but will eats seeds too.
Treecreepers move with mouse-like movements, climbing up a tree in a spiral, methodically hoovering up their food from the crevices in the bark on the trunk and branches. They will then flit over to another tree and begin the whole process again:
As the season turns colder, treecreepers often gang up with other species of birds like tits and goldcrests and can be seen moving as a community over the winter months. At night these birds will huddle as a large group to benefit from their combined body heat.
Nesting and young
Treecreepers like to nest in holes in mature trees or buildings, or in ivy. They make a soft nest with grass, moss and twigs which they line with feathers. They can lay up to nine eggs and might raise 2 broods of young.
Both parents feed the chicks and on the 11th of June 2020 I watched treecreeper parents feeding their fledglings on the trees in my council estate:
More info here: http://www.garden-birds.co.uk/birds/treecreeper.html
Look out for this wee bird on the trees that you pass, they are usually very well camouflaged on the bark and sometimes its only hearing their silvery pipey call that alerts you to their presence, listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9eGiSh6KtQ
Thanks for joining me, see you next week 🙂
silverhaar 